Sill and body bolster for railway vehicles



July'ZZ, 1930. T. A. LADAS' SILL AND BODY BOLSTER FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES Fild Aug. 21, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I nw/vrol? THEODORE A. LAD

HIS JTTOFNEK July 22, 1930. 1'. A. LADAS SILL AND BODY BOLSTER FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES Filed Aug. 21, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO"? THEODORE LADAS H15- f-TTOE'NEK lwx El Patented July 22, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THEODORE A. LADAS,- OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA w My invention relates to improvements in sills and body-bolsters for railway vehicles, such as freight cars and the like, wherein laterally extending body-bolsters Operate in conjunction with top and bottom sill' plates to hold the inner ends of said body-bolsters in spaced relation to the sill to providea recess for the introduction of stiffener plates onto the sill adjacent said bolster to further stifien and strengthen said sill after-the same has become weakened from a period of use.

In the present practice of the manufacture of steel freight-cars and the like, it'is the cus tomto provide a centrally and longitudinally disposed center-sill composed of a pair of parallel vertically disposed and outwardly facing channels-connected throughout by top and bottom plates. Adj acentthe ends of the sill, and over the truck centers, laterally'and oppositely extending body-bolsters are provided, which bolsters are likewise composed of parallel outwardly faced channels connected by top and bottom plates which extend the-length of said bolsters. i

The bolster channels, unlike the sill channels, are generally formed from sheet metal so asto provide, in additionto' the top'and bottom flanges of said channels, likewise end flanges on theinner ends of the bolsters which end flanges are formed to fit and are riveted to the sill channels.

After a period, usually an average of about ten years, the sill channels become weakened and, in-order to-stifi'e'n and strengthen the and to the bolster top and bottom plates and entirely remove the bolsters from the sill.

After suitablesti'ifener plates have been apand sometimes, into the new stiffeners, thus out of commission. i

The object of thepresentlinvention is to c so connect the inner endsofthe bodybolsters same, it is necessary to cutthe rivets connect- 1 ing the bolster channels to the sill channels requiring considerable labor and time to effeet the repair duringwhich time the car is SILL AND BODY BOLSTER r oa RAILWAY v-EHIc Esr Application filed August 21, 1929, Serial in). 387,405.

stifi'eners may lie-readily applied without removing the bolster channels or top and bottom plates, thereby effecting'a saving of time and labor and reducing the cost of repairing and also to return the car into commission" within a shorter spaceof time.

It isalso an object of the present invention tolengthen the time'or period of usage of the vehicle before strengthening or stiif ening of the sill becomes necessary.

A further object is to eliminate the cost of carrying, the weight of the stifteners through the period of time andmileage from the time the new caror vehicle is placed in commis- S1011 to the time ordinar ly required for re-'* pairs. r

A still further objectv is to provide a new and improved article of manufacture comprising a car center-sill and component body- I bolsters having improved means for permitting the application ofstifleners to a sill ad- JaCGIIt and extending on both sides of said bolsters, without removing said bolsters'j I accomplish these and other objects by means of the improved device disclosed in" the drawings forming a part ofthe present application wherein like characters of reference are used to designate similanparts throughout the specification and drawings, and in which v g Fig. 1 is a plan iew, 'partlyin section, of a center-sill and bolsters, removedfrom the car;

Fig.2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 ofFig. l' i'n the direction indicated;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken 'on line 3-3of Fig. 2 inthe direction indicated; a r y Fig.4 is an enlarged, broken, horizontal,

sectional view: taken at the junction of one set oi body-bolsters with the center sill;

Fig. 5 is a verticalsectional View taken online 5-5 of Fig. 4, in the directionindi- Fig. 6 is a vertical transversesectionalview of: the sill and bolster taken "on line 6 -6 of s- 5 in the'direction indicated;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to 4 but with the: shims removed and 1 disclosing the newly to thesill when-t e ar i uil that the @111 Fig. 8 is a view, similar to Fig. 6, but on a smaller scale and disclosing a modified form of the stifiener plate.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 is used to designate in general a center-sill comprising a pair of continuous vertically diseral flanges 8 tormed thereon, which flanges 8,

in the present state ofthe art, are formed to fitinto andare riveted directly onto the side channels .2 of the-center-sill 1, but in the present invention saidflanges 8 are formed,

as disclosed in Figs. 6 and 8 of the drawings,to fit over a shim 9 or stiffener plate 10, so that said inner ends of the body-bolsters are thus heldin spaced relation to the channels Qof the center-sill 1, whenthe car is newly constructed,said space or-reeess thus provided, being filled by either a pair of shims 9, one for each bolster channel 6, as disclosed in the upper portion ofFig. 4,01 by a single shim. 9,.-as disclosed in the lower porqzs tionof said figure.

The shims'9 are preferably provided'with lateral extensions lltozfacilitate removal of the same when said-shims are to be replaced by stiffeners.

In operation, the channels 6 and top and bottom plates-4 of the laterally extending bolsters 7 are fitted onto the'channels 2 of the sill;1 and overthe shims 9 or 9, as the easemay be, and "are permanently secured in place by suitable rivets 12, thereby securing theinner ends of the bolster channels 6 to the sill l but in spaced relation thereto.

After a period of usage the sill 1 becomes weakenedat the juncture, in'the great majority of'cases, of thebolsters-with the main sill, and'in-the present state of the art it is then necessary to eutthebolsters 7 entirely away from the sill 1 and shorten and reshape 'theinner ends and the flanges-8 thereon to fit 955 over the. stiflener'lO after the same has been riveted into-place on the said sill'l.

111 the present invention, however, it is only means of the lateral extensions 11 andthe shimsi- 9 or 9' a-reremoved from between the inner ends of the bolstershand the sill 1, and the stiffenerplate-IO is therr inserted in place of i the: shim which 7 has been removed, and

I after the stiffener 10 has beensecurely riveted into r-proper position, the rivets 12, i .orrnew ones, are replaced and the ends or flanges 8 on the inner ends of the bolsters and said inner ends thereby riveted to the stiflener 10 and sill 1, thereby effecting a saving of time, labor, and expense.

The stiffener plate 10 may be a simple, flat, plate as disclosed in Figs. 2 and 7 of the drawings, or, as is sometimes the case, it may be a channel 10 as disclosed in vertical sectional view in Fig. 8 of the drawings.

EHavingthus described by invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters lPatent is- 1. A new article of manufacture comprising the combination wlth a center sill of laterally extending body-bolsters connected to said sill and having'their inner ends arranged .in-spaced-relationto said sill to pr0viderecesses for the introduction of stiffener-s for said sill adjacent said bolsters to strengthen said. sill after said sill has become weakened through a period of use; and shims mounted within said recesses to strengthen said sills adjacent said bolsters and also to retain said innerends of said bolsters in spaced relation withthe sill until such time as stifteners may be required for said sill.

.2. A new article of manufacture comprising the combination with a center sill of-lat- ;erally extending bodyrbolsters connected to a said silland having their inner ends arranged in spaced relation tosaid sill to provide recesses for the introduction of stitfeners for said sill adjacent said bolsters-to strengthen said sill aftersaid sill has become weakened through aperiod of use; and shims mounted within said recesses to retain the inner ends of said bolsters in such: spaced'relation, said shims beingprovided with laterallyextending ends to facilitatetheir removal.

3. A new article of manufacture comprising the combination with a sill composed of parallel channels connectedby top andbottom plates, 0f bolster channels extending laterallyfrom each: side of said sill adjacent each end thereof; top and bottom bolster platesextending-theentire length of said bolsters and extending across and beyond said sill, said plates holding the said bolster channels with their inner ends in spaced relation to the sill channels to provide recesses between said inner. ends and said sill to facilitate the application ofstiftener plates to be applied to said sill'adjacent said bolsters.

4. Anew :article of manufacture comprising-the combinationwith a sill composed of parallel channels connected by top and botneeessa'ry to remove the rivets 12, and by tom plates, of bolster channels extending laterally from-each side of said sill adjacent each end thereof; top and bottom bolster .plates extending the entire length of said bolsters and extending aerossand beyond said to the sill ehannelsto provide recesses between said inner ends and said sill to facilitate the application of stiffener plates to be applied to said sill adjacent said bolsters; and shims mounted within said recesses to retain said inner ends in spaced relation with said sill until the application of stifi'eners is required to strengthen said sill adjacent said bolsters.

5. A new article of manufacture comprising the combination with a sill composed of e parallel channels connected by top and bottom plates, of bolster channels extending latmounted within said recesses to retain said inner ends in spaced relation with the sill, said shims being provided with lateral extensions to facilitate removal of the same to permit the application of stifli'eners for the sill in place of said shims.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my signature.

THEODORE A. LADAS'. 

